Outbreak
by a.brief.dalliance
Summary: Zombie!AU This wasn't quite what Kuroko had envisioned when he said he missed his old team and their crazy antics, and hoped that they would be on speaking terms again. But an outbreak of the undead is what he gets, and he'll just have to work with what he has. Canon compliant up until Winter-Cup.
1. Outbreak

_So this is a Zombie!AU featuring the Generation of Miracles, with a few other characters tossed in. The pairings for this story aren't set yet, but it will predominantly be an Aomine x Kuroko story. There will be some graphic violence and gory descriptions. Although the focus of the story is the interactions of GoM and the budding romance between various character._

 _To any followers of my other story, I promise that I haven't given up on it, the next chapter is in progress, but this story has been begging to be written for a while now._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko's basketball, I just like manipulating the characters to do things for my own pleasure._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Outbreak**

* * *

The day the world became fucked up beyond all recognition started just as any other.

Kuroko awoke hours before school started. As was custom he turned on the television, hoping to catch the news segment before heading out. Strangely there was no signal and the screen remained the grey fuzzing of static. Shrugging, he prepared his breakfast and lunch as usual, setting aside a portion for his parents to take to work with the customary sticky note attached, 'Have a good day, breakfast in oven. The TV isn't working.' He paused, and decided on a whim to add an unusually jaunty side ways smiley face, before heading off for his daily pre-training practice session.

In the absence of the sun, the crisp winter air was positively freezing. Each breath of air greedily inhaled by a panting Kuroko sent tiny shockwaves down his throat and into his lungs and seemed to seep through his bloodstream leaving ice in its wake. He greeted Saito-san with a nod as he jogged past. He was an elderly gentleman whom Kuroko passed every morning on his way to the street courts. He dimly noted, through his growing exhaustion, the stiffness evident in the old man's movements and could have sworn he had heard a hollow croaky moan that raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Kuroko mentally shrugged it off and put it down to arthritis or some other geriatric disease that was undoubtedly made worse by the frigid temperatures.

Kuroko was light headed and bent double, gasping for air by the time he reached the courts. It proved the extra daily training was working. A month ago, he wouldn't have been able to run the entire way without having to take multiple breaks.

He raised his head at the familiar sound of basketball slamming backboard, surprised. His light was early for once.

"Good morning, Aomine-kun."

The taller player grunted a gruff greeting before launching into his routine tirade, "God damn it Tetsu, must we start at such hellish hours? It's five fucking 'o clock in the morning. Nobody trains this early! The sun isn't even up!"

Kuroko ignored his friend, instead snatching the ball from his loose grip and dribbled it towards the three-point line. Aomine may complain every morning, but he had never failed to show up.

"Hey, don't ignore me you bastard!"

The Seirin player steadied his breath and flicked the ball towards the hoop.

 _Thunk_.

As expected the ball rebounded off the ring and shot off in the opposite direction. Aomine made a disgusted noise as he retrieved the ball. "I don't even know why I bother, it's not like you're getting any better," he grumbled before making his own shot and watching the ball swish through, dead centre.

A sharp elbow collided with his stomach, knocking all the air from his body.

"Don't be mean, Aomine-kun."

"Like you're one to talk," he wheezed back.

As he rubbed petulantly at his abdomen he watched his former shadow dribble the ball back and forth along the court. Despite his earlier misgivings, Tetsu had improved. His control of the ball was more confident, his stamina slowly but surely increasing, his shots were only missing eight out of ten times, rather than ten out of ten, and he had even managed to take the ball off Aomine once during a one-on-one. To be fair though, Aomine had been incredibly distracted by the delicate collarbones revealed by the unusually low cut of Tetsu's new basketball tank.

 _Thunk._

Kuroko turned to Aomine with a slightly dismayed expression. Aomine grinned reluctantly, maybe eight misses out of ten was an underestimation. Definitely a nine.

* * *

The second hint that things were going to hell in an express elevator occurred during Kuroko's walk to school. He was distracted, trying to cram a month's worth of maths knowledge into Kagami's thick skull before the test in third period.

"…so that's what a derivative is," he paused. "Kagami-kun, are you listening to me?" he asked menace dancing along the edges of otherwise calm words.

"What? Yeah. Of course," the red head stuffed another red bean bun into his mouth and nodded in emphasis. "Go on," he mumbled around the food.

Kuroko shot him a mild look of disgust before continuing his impromptu tutorial. A rough shoulder bumped into him and he reflexively shot out a bland 'excuse me' before stopping in his tracks.

Something felt strange.

He looked up from the maths textbook he was reading from. Something was off about this morning. There were fewer students around them than there normally would be at this hour. And some of the students were moving in a peculiar way and bringing up a strange sense of déjà vu. He narrowed his eyes, hadn't Saito-san been giving off a similar off vibe this morning…?

"Oi, Kuroko, what's wrong?"

Kagami's voice jolted him from his inner musings. Shrugging his previous thoughts off, Kuroko turned back to his waiting friend.

"Where is everyone?" Kagami wondered.

The bluenette shrugged, looking around the half empty classroom. Neither of their teachers had turned up for the first two periods and the class representative said that the principal was also not in his office. Bored, the students had spread out and were chatting amongst themselves.

"Wanna play ball?" the red head questioned lazily, flipping his pen back and forth across his knuckles. Kuroko sighed, this was the ninth time Kagami had asked, and he was beginning to think he had a point. Kagami, sensing imminent victory grinned and was in the process of gathering his things when the announcement began.

"S-students, all classes are hereby postponed until further notice," the fear was sharp in the voice. "There have been r-reports of a viral illness that has s-spread across the city, if not the c-country. Students are advised to return home and stay indoors and await f-further instructions."

 _Click._

Noise erupted in the classroom. Some were cheering that school was out for the foreseeable future and were already planning vacation plans to the beach. Others looked worried and were pulling out phones to call their families.

"Hey does anyone have signal? My phone's playing up today."

"Huh? Mine too. I can't get through to my mum."

"What? I can't either! There's no internet either."

A shrill scream cut through all the chatter. Everyone fell silent and looked towards the girl by the window. Tatsuki-san was white as a sheet and she raised her trembling finger to point into the courtyard. There was a brief moment of hesitation before the rest of the class moved towards the window.

"W-what the hell!" Kagami exclaimed. Kuroko echoed the sentiment silently.

A lumbering figure had entered the school gates and was proceeding towards a group of girls that had taken advantage of the absence of a teacher and skipped class. The unnatural and jerky movements combined with the oozing stump that was once an arm socket were terrifying enough. The girls had frozen in shock and only began to scramble to their feet when the figure was within arm lengths. It was far too late.

Screams split the air as the creature's teeth closed down on one of the female's shoulder while swiping a hand across the back of another. She went down squealing in pain. Before anyone could blink another figure, this one more slender with smooth movements, leaped over the school walls and had entered the fray. While the first was clumsy but brutal in its attacks, the second was fluid and attacked efficiently. It effortlessly ripped the head off a male student whom had come running out to help before turning and leaping after the escaping females.

Panic abounded in Kuroko and Kagami's classroom. There was a rush for the door as students ran yelling in fear.

"That…those things aren't human, Kagami-kun." Kuroko was still pressed intently on the glass, peering into the courtyard in horror.

"I don't know what the fuck they are, I just know we have to get the hell out of here before we get slaughtered too!"

"Is this the virus they were talking about? If it's spread through the city…"

A jolt of fear shot down Kuroko's spine. His parents.

* * *

Kuroko ran with a single-minded determination, weaving between the abandoned cars that littered the roads. He tried his hardest to ignore the smattering of bodies that had been gruesomely torn apart and detached limbs carelessly strewn along the sidewalk. Kagami followed closely behind, keeping an eye on his frantic shadow while desperately dialling Tatsuya's number again and again, hoping to get through to his brother.

"Damn it," the red head muttered, "The line's still dead."

He looked up from his phone in time to see Kuroko skid to a halt outside his house. Kagami's heart sank. The front door was ajar. He looked over at his friend and from the way the shorter boy was worrying at his lip, he could tell Kuroko had also noticed. With a shaky breath and a quick glance at Kagami, Kuroko nudged the door fully open and stepped cautiously into the dim interior of his home.

Everything looked normal.

' _Maybe_ ,' his mind whispered hopefully.

Then the two high school students stepped into the kitchen.

It was a scene directly out of a horror movie. Vivid red splashes mixed with small pieces of human tissue painted the walls and ceiling. Kuroko's parents were still sitting at the table, the breakfast that Kuroko had made earlier that morning spread out between them. His father was slumped back in the chair, head tilted back and hanging precariously by a strand of muscle. His throat had been ripped out. There was a kitchen knife on the floor below his dangling arm, it seemed he had at least tried to put up a fight. In contrast, Kuroko's mother was collapsed on the table and other than the blood pooling on the ground beneath her chair, she had no visible wounds.

Kuroko took all this in clinically and emotionlessly. A part of him was screaming and wailing in grief and horror, but he pushed that to the back of his mind. There would be time for that later.

"Kagami-kun, do you mind giving me a moment?"

"O-of course," Kagami laid a firm hand to his friend's shoulder, squeezing briefly before leaving, glad to be away from the blood bath. He wandered into the living room, far away enough to give Kuroko some privacy to say his goodbyes but close enough to reach him easily in the case of a necessary getaway. He noticed absently that there was a basket of clean laundry lying next to the couch. With shaking hands he tipped the load onto the cushions and began folding. The mundane and routine task helped calm him and slowly the nausea that had been clawing at his throat began to ebb, although the cold that gripped his chest remained.

Kagami started at the moan that broke the tense silence that had fallen on the Kuroko household. He was instantly alert and moving; his whole body had erupted into goose bumps at that awful inhumane sound.

He burst into the kitchen to see Kuroko with a hand outstretched towards his parents and wide gaze fixed in horror. With great trepidation, Kagami turned his gaze. Kuroko's mother, or at least her body, was stirring. Her movements were slow and sluggish as if she were waking from a prolonged nap or moving through thick liquid. The motions and angles were all wrong, her limbs and joints in discord with each other, as she rose awkwardly to her feet. She peered emptily at them in disinterest before shuffling towards her husband's body. As she took his mostly detached head into her stiff fingers Kuroko finally broke from his trance.

"No," he pleaded hoarsely, "Please Mum, stop. Please."

She paid her son no attention as she proceeded to tear the remaining ligaments before raising the head and bringing it down with sudden speed and force against the corner of the table. She did it again and again.

Kagami could only watch, frozen, and transfixed with the horrible sight.

The creature that used to be Kuroko's mum finally stopped when she had punctured a decent hole in the skull. She raised the cranium and proceeded to drink the mush that was her husband's brain much like one would drink from an oversized goblet.

"NOOO!" the anguished yell was torn from Kuroko's throat. He started to rush forward before a strong arm wrapped around his chest and yanked him back.

"Let me go Kagami! I have to stop her!"

Tears were pouring down his face as he struggled against his friend's tight grip.

"No, Kuroko, stop! That's not your mum anymore. She's not going to listen to reason or logic. She's one of _them_!" Kagami spun the smaller boy around and shook his shoulders roughly, "Listen to me, Kuroko! We have to get out of here before she finishes and decides we're next. We have to go! NOW!"

Kuroko slumped at the roared words, his eyes lost and afraid before nodding slightly. Kagami grasped his arm tightly before pulling him out of the room. The two boys looked back one last time at the gruesome scene. The creature was still feasting. But it was smiling now. It was a ghastly caricature of the warm smile that had graced them after a long day at basketball practice.

Kagami paused in the hallway before releasing Kuroko and lunging into the living room. He shifted impatiently through the neatly folded and stacked laundry before yanking on the thick hoodie that he knew to be Kuroko's. Tucking that under his arm he marched back to his friend and towing him out the door.

* * *

Kuroko had been silent for the majority of their escape, numb to his surroundings and senses. It was only when Kagami began swearing and muttering under his breath that he blinked and tuned in briefly. It seemed Kagami was now at a lost of where to go from here. Something niggled at the back of his mind. He frowned slightly, trying to grasp the thought that was intent on wriggling its way out of his grasp.

There.

He tugged on Kagami's sleeve to gain the red head's attention, "Kagami-kun, I know where we have to go."

"Huh?"

"Teiko."

"Teiko?! Like your middle school Teiko?"

Without another word Kuroko changed the trajectory they were walking in and headed down the familiar path that would lead them to their destination.

"Oi! Kuroko you bastard! Why the fuck are we going to a school? Answer me!"

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed that, leave me a message to let me know what you think._


	2. Reunion

_I wanted to thank anyone who left a message and had such kind words to say about my work! Hopefully, this next chapter lives up to your expectations!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Reunion**

* * *

Kuroko drew his knees closer to his chest. The central gym of Teiko Middle School was smaller than he remembered and much colder. As he tried to control the involuntary shivers that racked his body, Kagami approached him silently, tossing a warm bundle of cloth at his head. Years of training made him automatically reach up and catch.

"I thought you might need the hoodie," Kagami explained when Kuroko looked at him in question. "Once in America, I walked past the site of a car crash. Some of the witnesses were in shock and shivering. The paramedics explained that after seeing something so traumatic the body could go into hypothermia."

Kuroko blinked.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun."

He silently pulled the navy material over his head before resuming his blank stare into space.

Seeing this, the red head huffed a little. He understood though, he himself was still in a state of disbelief. Kagami could only imagine what his partner was going through. Knowing that Kuroko needed time and space, he continued his inspection of the gym. He still didn't know what they were doing here at Kuroko's middle school but he trusted him implicitly. But if they were to remain alive and intact he was going to have to fortify this place before the sun went down. After all, in all zombie movies the creatures seemed to be more active in the absence of light. And this was assuming that they were, in fact, dealing with zombies. Kagami shrugged mentally, they were unnatural, undead, and ate brains – in his book, that was enough.

Kagami noted two entrances to the gym as he finished his course around the court. One faced a back alley way that lead to what he assumed were the soccer and baseball fields, the other lead to the main buildings of the school. Having located the storage compartment, the red head considered his options. There were the usual fold up tables and chairs that were used for examinations, they would make a decent foundation to a barricade; foam mats would be used for bedding, the metal racks holding basketballs and weights could add needed weight to the tables, and once Kuroko was up to it, they would be able to move the metal lockers from the change rooms to further strengthen the blockades. But first, he should arm both Kuroko and him. Kagami was surprised to see a collection of baseball bats at the back of the storage space and after giving one of them a test swing he nodded in satisfaction.

After dropping a smaller and lighter bat next to Kuroko, he proceeded to carry the tables and chairs out. Pausing briefly, Kagami reached into his back pocket, flipping open his phone, hoping to see some bars of signal.

Still nothing.

* * *

Slowly but surely, the numbing haze lifted and Kuroko began to become aware of his surroundings. With clarity came pain; intense, blinding pain that gripped his heart and refused to let go. He squeezed his eyes shut when he felt the tell-tale burning that proceeded tears and clenched his fists, digging blunt nails into the soft flesh of his palm. No matter how hard he tried, the scene in his kitchen continued to replay on loop.

His father. Dead.

His mother. A monster.

He wanted to scream and yell and curse the heavens but the logical, rational part of him chided him, _'You can't break down now. There will be time for that later. You need to get up. Help Kagami-kun.'_

Kuroko drew a deep breath, pushing down the torrent of emotions. He was good at that; hiding what he felt.

Pushing himself to his feet he was surprised to find that Kagami had already been at work. The back door of the gym was locked and barricaded with a neat stack of interlocking tables and chairs with training weights reinforcing the entire structure. The red head was currently in the process of putting the final touches by taping over the windows of the door with sports tape.

A tiny smile passed over Kuroko's face, "Kagami-kun is surprisingly reliable."

The tall teenager whirled around, flushing, "What the hell do you mean by that?! Of course I am, there's no surprise about it!"

Kagami could see the mocking look in his friend's eyes and could only feel relief that Kuroko was up and at it. "Come on," he said gruffly, "I was thinking we could use the lockers in the showers to block the other door."

Wordlessly, Kuroko followed him.

He was hit with a wave of nostalgia as he entered the change rooms. He had shared so many happy hours; laughing, joking, teasing, and playing pranks with Aomine-kun and the others here.

 _Aomine-kun_.

Pale blue eyes widened, and panic rose, occluding his throat. He grabbed at Kagami's arm desperately, "Kagami-kun!"

"What? What! Did you hear something?" Kagami was already moving back to the gym with the baseball bat raised over his head.

"Is your phone working?" the bluenette was frantically thumbing his own phone open. No signal. "No," the word came out as a drawn-out, dismayed groan, "Aomine-kun…"

 _'_ _Was he all right? He had to be. He was strong. Stronger than anyone Kuroko knew.'_

His thoughts were a frenzied whirlwind as his mind conjured up unwanted images of a mangled tan body. Kuroko's breathing quickened and he could see the edges of his vision turning black

"Kuroko!" Kagami roughly shook his partner. "Snap out of it! Come on, deep breaths, I won't have you fainting on me over that piece of shit."

Kuroko shook his head desperately, trying to do as his friend instructed.

"In and out. In and out," Kagami cajoled.

Slowly as Kuroko's breath steadied, his vision cleared and the cold that had seeped into his fingers faded as blood returned. Kagami sighed, relieved, "Thank God."

Trying to lighten the mood, Kagami quirked an amused eyebrow at the smaller boy, teasing, "I knew it. I thought there was something more than friendship between you two. No one works that hard to see a _friend_ smile again. Especially not for that lump of basketball idiot."

"Oi! Who do you think you're calling an idiot, Bakagami?"

Kuroko's head shot up and hope warmed his chest at the familiar rough tenor of his light.

"Daiki! Don't go starting fights," the pink haired girl beside Aomine smiled slyly, "Especially when Kagamin is right."

"Not you too Satsuki! That moron-" Aomine's words were cut off when a small but strong form collided with him. Looking down, his gaze softened as he raised a hand to rest fondly against light blue hair. His other arm wrapped around his shadow, holding him tight. He could hear Kuroko's faint, muffled chanting of, "You're alright, you're fine, _you're alive_."

"Tetsu," he breathed. "I'm glad you're ok too."

Kuroko pressed his face closer into Aomine's chest, eyes closed but tears still escaping. Now that he had Aomine's strong arms wrapped around him, Kuroko could let go. He had assured himself that there would be a time to break down – later.

Later was now.

Feeling the soft shudders that shook Kuroko's shoulders and the dampness seeping through his top, Aomine lifted a startled questioning gaze.

Kagami shrugged helplessly, mouthing, " _His parents._ "

Aomine's expression spoke of mourning before hardening. He gently lifted the smaller boy into his arms and moving quietly into Akashi's former office that was an offshoot to the change rooms.

Momoi watched as the two most important men in her life disappeared into the room. She shared a helpless look with Kagami. They might not be able to help Kuroko like Aomine could, but she and Kagami could ensure their survival for at least tonight. With that, the two of them began to manoeuvre one of the metal lockers into the main gym.

* * *

Aomine sank down on the soft leather of the chair – he could totally see Akashi ordering it, no plain wooden chair for their captain – and lifted Kuroko into his lap. He kept a tight grip on his shadow, settling his chin on the shorter boy's hair. As Aomine listened to the strangled sobs tearing through Kuroko, he let his own grief rise to the surface.

He had never had a close relationship to his parents. His dad was a drunk, not violent – just lazy. After a work accident, his dad's back had never returned to normal and he had not sought further help. He was satisfied with lounging at home as long as he had a can of beer in his hand. Aomine's mother had worked hard in compensation, holding down two or more part jobs at a time. This left little time for her son, whom had practically raised himself. Ever since he was a child, Aomine made his own meals, signed his own permission slips, and had never had either of his parents turn up for any of his official basketball matches. He was fine with his situation, he knew that there were kids out there who had it a lot worse, and at least his parents weren't abusive or purposefully neglectful. But he had also not known the warmth that a parent could give their child.

Until he met Kuroko.

Back in middle school, when he and Kuroko were best friends, it wasn't unusual for Aomine to spend several nights a week at his shadow's house. Kuroko's parents had always been welcoming, truly liking their son's new friend. He was a little rough around the edges but they could tell that he had a big heart.

Aomine could still remember Kuroko's mum's soft warm hands as they straightened his tie, patted down his hair, or handed him a home made bento before he left for school. And he would never forget the proud smile that Kuroko's dad had gifted him after a particularly gruelling match, patting him on the shoulder fondly and telling him, "Well done! That was a good game, it was close at the end but I believed in you. You truly have a talent, and I know you won't waste it."

Tears burned his eyes as he reminisced. He tightened his grip on Kuroko and grieved with him.

* * *

Kuroko's desperate sobs had slowed to occasional sniffles.

"Tetsu…"

Kuroko hummed softly to let Aomine know he was listening.

"Look, you know I'm useless with words, so I'm most likely going to screw this up, but…I'm sorry about your parents," Aomine paused, searching for the right words. "I really liked them. Th-they didn't deserve to die like that. I'm really sorry…"

Although his light's words were spoken haltingly and at times clumsily, Kuroko appreciated his effort. He tucked his head further under Aomine's chin, and cuddled closer to his warmth.

Aomine wasn't finished, "I-I just want you to know that no matter what happens from here, I'll be there for you. They would have wanted you to fight, survive…live. And as long as I'm alive, I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you." He added softly under his breath, "I owe them and you at least that much."

Kuroko stiffened. He didn't want Aomine pledging such an oath because of some misplaced sense of gratitude. He wanted more, so much more. Knowing that Aomine sense his change in mood, Kuroko forced himself to relax.

'One step at a time', he told himself.

Both boys lifted their heads up at the soft, hesitant knock on the door.

Momoi stuck her head in with a sheepish smile, "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but there's been a new arrival."

Knowing that his time was up, Kuroko savoured his light's warmth for a second more before sliding himself off Aomine and headed towards the pink-haired girl. He paused before wrapping her into a brief hug, "I'm glad you're here, Momoi-san."

Aomine rolled his eyes at the blindingly giddy smile that spread across his childhood friend's face as she squeezed Kuroko back fiercely.

"Come on," the tanned basketball player called gruffly, before snickering, "We shouldn't be leaving Bakagami alone for too long, he could have offed himself by accident by now."


End file.
